Politics

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany

Politics over preservation?

Khaled El-Enany has been appointed to lead UNESCO, sparking intense debate. Critics cite the former minister's role in controversial demolitions and redevelopment projects in Egypt, arguing that his approach to heritage was shaped by political considerations.
By Ahmed El-Gammal
Rebuilding Khartoum

The same old tale of power and exclusion

While Sudan's de facto government focuses on reviving the capital, its reconstruction policies follow a familiar pattern: channelling resources to the centre while neglecting the marginalised, war-torn periphery.
By Mahitab Mahgoub
50 years of occupation in Western Sahara

The "pearl of the south" is still not free

Morocco celebrates Sahrawi heritage through state TV, tourism campaigns and festivals. But self-determination for Western Sahara remains a distant prospect, while the central government deepens its hold on the territory through major development projects.
By Bettina Gräf
Morocco protests

"Gen Z has surprised the political elites"

For two weeks, a group called Generation Z 212 led mass youth protests across Morocco, demanding reforms in healthcare and education. Researcher Mohamed Sammouni says the movement lays bare a crisis of political legitimacy.
By Imad Stitou
Israeli-Palestinian conflict

"Jerusalem is the key to a political solution"

Peace through interdependence? According to Yudith Oppenheimer and Amy Cohen of Israeli NGO Ir Amim, a shared capital city could pave the way for an end to the violence.
By Jannis Hagmann, Mohammed Magdy
Two years after October 7

Making a case for a wide-ranging viewpoint

Two years after October 7, the need for honest analysis has never been more urgent. Real understanding can only emerge when we begin at the right place—by looking beyond recent events and the history of occupation of the Palestinian territories.
By Karim El-Gawhary
Israel’s former intelligence chief on 7 October

"Our actions are the result of fear"

Two years after the Hamas attack, Israel remains in shock, says Ami Ayalon. In this interview, the former intelligence chief explains why Israeli society has failed to learn the lessons of 7 October, why the Gaza war must end, and why he rejects allegations of genocide.
By Judith Poppe
Syrian newspaper Enab Baladi

"We offer an alternative to propaganda and hate"

The team behind Enab Baladi, the revolutionary media organisation founded at the start of the 2011 uprising, has returned to Syria. Co-founder Kholoud Helmi explains why their presence in Damascus is more crucial than ever.
By Julia Stanton
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa

The false saviour

Ahmed al-Sharaa is celebrated for liberating Syria from the Assad regime. But the former militia leader has a dark past. Will the people, out of desperation, once again fall prey to a brutal dictator?
By Maram Ahmad
Egyptian activist pardoned

Alaa Abd El-Fattah is free

After years in prison, democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah is free. Egypt's president has officially pardoned the 43-year-old. Read by a selection of texts by and about one of the key figures of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
Hamas in Gaza

A fractured movement, an absent leadership

Hamas miscalculated. It failed to anticipate the scale of Israel's retaliation after 7 October, which has left Gaza in ruins, eroding support for the movement and provoking the anger of the people it claims to represent.
By Asmaa al-Ghoul
Refugee rights in Egypt

"We are in a legal vacuum"

Egypt hosts more than one million registered refugees, most from Sudan. Recent legislation has stripped away protections, creating chaos in the country's asylum system and violating international law, says Nour Khalil, director of Refugees Platform Egypt (RPE).
By Clara Taxis